Gas stove lighter actuating mechanism



Feb. 20, 1934.

A. J. FRENCH 1,948,210

GAS STOVE LIGHTER ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed July 22, 1931 INVENTOR Allen Jfiench Patented Feb. 20, 1934- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAS STOVE LIGHTER ACTUATING IVIECHANISM 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a gas stove lighter actuating mechanism.

It is customary at present to provide gas cooking stoves with a lighter located centrally of the burners of said stove. A common form of lighter comprises four radially positioned jets, one directed toward each of the four burners, with which the ordinary household gas stove is provided. A valve is provided in a gas supply pipe to these jets, said valve having a small by-pass so that a small quantity of gas will be supplied continuously to the jets so as to keep a pilot light burning. When this valve is opened, a flame is directed toward each of the burners from the above mentioned radially positioned jets so that upon turning on any of the burners While said valve is open, the burner will be lighted thereby. While this type of lighter is very satisfactory, it required an additional operation in the lighting of a burner, and, where there are small children in the house, it is possible that a child might turn on a burner without actuating the pilot light valve. Applicant is aware that co-ordinating mechanisms have been produced to actuate a lighter by the opening of a burner valve, but all of these mechanisms appear to be either quite complicated and expensive, or else open to the objection that when a burner valve is only partly open the lighter valve will be held open.

An object of the present invention is to make an improved and simplified gas lighter actuating mechanism.

In order to attain this object, there is provided, in accordance with one feature of the invention, a cam mounted on each burner valve of a gas stove, said cams actuating a mechanism connected to the lighter valve so as to actuate the lighter upon the turning on of any of the burners.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully brought out in the following description and the accompanying drawing, Where- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a portion of the supply pipe of a gas stove with a lighter actuating mechanism mounted thereon, the parts being broken away so as to show one burner valve and the lighter valve.

Figure 2 is a view in top elevation of the front portion of a gas stove having the present invention embodied therein.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of a burner valve cam and the lighter valve arm with an actuating arm in operative position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the parts in a different stage of operation; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a gas stove A is of a conventional type with burner grids 1. A supply pipe 2 is positioned parallel to the front edge of the stove and is held in position by brackets 3. The customary burner valves 4 are mounted in the supply pipe. A lighter 5 having the customary valve 6 is also mounted in the supply pipe. The light valve 6 in the present instance is of the rotatable type, but the specific type of valve used is not essential to the invention.

A pair of clamp type supports 7 and 8 are secured to the supply pipe, being held in position by means of bolts 9. Pivotally mounted on the lower end of each of the bolts 9 is an arm 10. A spring 11 is coiled around the bolt 9, the upper end of the spring being secured in a notch 12 in the supports '7 and 8, and the lower end of the spring engaging the outer side of each of the arms 10 to force them inwardly. A link 13 is pivotally connected at its ends with the arms 10. The link 13 is provided with a plurality of studs 14, rigidly secured thereto, one of said studs being positioned adjacent each of the burner valves 4 and the lighter valve 6. A cam lever 15 is secured to the lower end of each of the rotatable valve arms 16 to rotate therewith. These cam levers are mounted so that when the burner valve is closed the cam lever will occupy the position 17 in Figure 4, so as to permit the stud 14 to pass back and forth without striking said lever when any of the other burners are turned on. As a burner is turned on the cam lever 15 engages the stud 14 and moves it to the solid line position in Figure 3. This moves the lever arm 18 of the lighter valve to open said lighter valve, causing the flames from the radial lighter jets to ig-- nite the gas from the burner turned on. As the burner valve is turned on more fully to the dotted line position in Figure 3, the cam lever 15 releases the stud 14 and permits the spring 11 to return the lighter valve to a normal, or closed, position. The springs 11 are adjusted to normally balance each other with the lighter valve 6 closed. The lighter valve 6 is constructed so thata slight reverse rotation is permitted from the closed position, so that when a burner is being closed, as shown in solid lines, the cam lever 15 may force the link 13 to the left a short'distance so as to permit the cam lever to clear the stud 14 and move to the fully closed position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4.

After once being turned on sufliciently to release the stud 14, as shown in dotted lines, the

link 13 and associated parts, are returned to normal by the springs 11. Thereafter the burner may be turned down as low as desired Without again actuating the lighter.

The device may be built in as an integral part of the stove or supplied as an accessory, as desired.

I claim:

In combination with a gas stove, having a burner, a pilot light, a manually adjustable valve associated with said burner, and a valve associated with said pilot light, a pair of link supports fixedly connected to said stove, a pair of links pivotally connected one to each of said supports, a bar pivotally connected to the opposite ends of said links from said supports, said bar being po-'- sitioned substantially parallel to a line between said valves, a projection fixedly secured to said bar adjacent each of said valves, a valve operating arm connected to said pilot valve and to one of said projections to operate said pilot valve on longitudinal movement of said bar, a cam arm operatively connected to said burner valve, said cam arm being adapted to engage the other of said projections on an opening movement of said burner valve, to move said bar longitudinally to operate said pilot valve, and a pair of oppositely positioned springs mounted on said links to normally hold said bar in spring balanced position to permit engagement of one of said projections by said cam arm.

ALLEN J. FRENCH. 

